Blues is one of the most instantly recognisable and popular genres in music. Coming out of African-American communities in the American Deep South in the late 19th century, the first Blues music would be published in 1908, at the same time the word ‘Blues’ was first used to describe the sound.

The early days of Blues music were characterised by the shift from country...

Flamenco guitars look similar to what most of us would recognize as a traditional acoustic guitar, but are known for their more distinct sound. The main difference in appearance is that the flamenco guitar will usually have an exaggerated pickguard, which is usually used for tapping to measure timing within music, although the actual reason it was originally invented was to prevent the guitar b...

The terms rap and hip-hop are often used interchangeably with one another; however, rapping is a separate style that was introduced into existing hip-hop music in the 1970s. This is why, if you listen to many early hip-hop tracks from the 1960s and 1970s, you’ll find vocals or absent or if there is vocals present they’re traditional harmonies and what you’d term ‘regular...

Although the traditional jazz-style guitar wouldn’t be born until the 1930s, the first take on a jazz guitar was actually in 1923. This was the Gibson L5, which popular jazz musicians of the time, including Eddie Lang, would use. When the electric guitar was invented in the 1931, it would quickly become the jazz instrument of choice for those playing strings. Until this time, the banjo wa...

Soul is one of the most popular genres in the music business today. Not only is it widely loved on its own, it is also a huge influence on various other types of music, and a major source of inspiration for musicians the world over.

In addition, soul has been the foundation of many sub-genres, with various interpretations of soul being linked to places around the world. Chicago soul,...

Despite having a rich history behind them in the guitar industry, Yamaha is not a name most people would immediately associate with the instrument. However, while the likes of Gibson and Fender lead the way, Yamaha does enjoy a portion of the market and is still a respected name when it comes to guitar production.

Yamaha’s First Guitars

Yamaha released their first so...